Can-containing construction member

ABSTRACT

A building construction member, comprising: at least one row of cans held between opposite channels of mesh or apertured sheet metal; and light-weight concrete or foam plastic encompassing the cans and channels. The cans and channels may be assembled into a plural-sided construction member by interlocking adjacent ends of the channels by means of flanges, spread slightly apart to go over row-end cans and channel ends at corners, with use of screws and bonding material. FIGS. 14 to 19 illustrate the construction member as a door or window frame. The invention also comprises an elongated, light-weight, straight or curved building bar of channels, cans and concrete or plastic.

United States Patent 1191 Moore 1451 Dec. 31, 1974 1 CANCONTAINING CONSTRUCTION MEMBER [76] Inventor: Alvin Edward Moore, Manini Way,

Diamondhead, Bay St. Louis, Miss. 39520 [221,Filec1: Dec. 8, 1972 211 Appl. N6; 313,454

[52] US. Cl 52/259, 52/204, 52/577, 52/656, 52/627, 52/720, 52/750 [51] Int. Cl. E04C H06 58 Field 61 Search 52/656, 576, 577, DIG. 9, 52/259, 258, 285, 300, 241, 613, 615, 627, 52/720, 750,29 7 5 c, 65 CT [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 596,010 12/1897 Baude 52/241 1,382,095 6/1921 Lambert 52/725 1,465,653 8/1923 Olander 52/DIG. 9 2,952,355 9/1960 Brunsing.... 206/65 C 3,023,892 3/1962 Crane 206/65 C 3,232,424 2/1966 Stein et a1. 206/65 C 3,328,932 7/1967 Cheskin 52/576 3,442,377 5/1969 Angelus 206/65 C 3,597,890 8/1971 Hala 52/577 3,613,881 10/1971 Oldenberg 206/65 C 3,721,059 3/1973 Reynolds 52/DIG. 9

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 403,194 9/1909 France 52/258 1,105,738 7/1955 France 52/DIG. 9

Primary Examiner-Alfred C. Perham Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Alvin Edward Moore 5 7] ABSTRACT A building construction member, comprising: at least one row of cans held between opposite channels of mesh or apertured sheet metal; and light-weight con- 'crete or foam plastic encompassing the cans and channels. The cans and channels may be assembled into a plural-sidedconstruction member by interlocking adjacent ends of the channels by means of flanges, spread slightly apart to go over row-end cans and channel ends'atcorners, with use of screws and bonding materiaLFIGS. 14 to 19 illustrate the construction member as a door or window frame. The invention also comprises an elongated, light-weight, straight or curved building bar of channels, cans and concrete or plastic.

22 Claims, 20 Drawing Figures CAN-CONTAINING CONSTRUCTION MEMBER Among other purposes, this invention has the following objects: (1) a light-weight but extremely strong bar or block, which easily may be laid in a wall and mortared or glued in place, comprising cans and channeled mesh in concrete or foam plastic; (2) a quadrilateral, hollow-centered, light-weight construction member, comprising cans and channeled mesh in concrete or plastic; and (3) a door or window frame of cans and channeled mesh in concrete or plastic.

Other objects and the specific structure of the invention will become apparent from the following specification and the accompanying drawings.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view partly broken away, of a row of parallel-axes cans, held in position within channeled mesh that has one channel-closing end and the other end comprising a tab-like fastening flange;

FIG. 2 is a plan view, partly broken away, of a row of parallel-axes cans, within channeled mesh that has such a flange at each of its ends;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view, illustrating the mesh of FIG. I or FIG. 2 before its sides are bent into a channel;

FIG. 4 is a plan view, partly broken away, of a curved row of parallel-axes cans within a curved channel of mesh;

FIG. 5 is a plan view, partly broken away, of another arrangement of the parallel-axes cans and mesh;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view from a plane comparable to the plane 66 of FIG. 5, showing the mesh and cans as sheathed in plastic or the like;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view, on a scale enlarged from that of FIGS. 1 to 6, from a plane containing the axis of one of the parallel-axes cans, in a row that is held together by opposite channels 'of mesh;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a common type of new or used can, having sealed-over apertures;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary plan view of an optional type of new or used can, also illustrating an optional type of apertured strip for holding one set of aligned can ends together, shown before assembling channeled mesh or the like on the opposite set of ends of the row of cans;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary plan view of a straight row of cans, held together at one set of their ends by an apertured band, and held together at opposite can ends by a channel of mesh;

FIG. 10A is a view in section from a plane comparable to that of IOAIOA of FIG. 10, having a wooden element in place of the band of FIG. 10;

FIG. 11 is a detail plan view (or side-elevational view), partly broken away, of an assembly of two of the rows at a corner of a plural-sided member (for example, a quadrilateral or three-sided construction element);

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view from a plane comparable to the plane indicated at 12-l2 in either FIG. 1 or FIG. 4, illustrating a construction bar or plural-sided element that comprises cans and mesh in mortar or other concrete;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view from a plane comparable to I2l2 of FIG. 1 or FIG. 4 ofa bar or pluralsided construction member that comprises cans and mesh in plastic;

FIG. I4 is an-elevational (or plan) view of a cancontaining frame of a window or door;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary viewof such a frame having an arched upper end;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view from a plane comparable to that indicated at l6l6 or 17-17 of FIG. 14 or FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a sectional view from a plane comparable to that at l6l6 or 1717 of FIG. 14 or FIG. 15, indicating the window or door stop as comprising plastic (or concrete) that is integral with the remainder of the matrix around the cans;

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view, similar to FIG. 17, showing the stop as comprising small-diameter cans; and

FIG. 19 is a sectional view from the plane 19-19 of FIG. 18, with the cans 48 shown as slightly larger than in FIG. 18.

FIGS. 1 to 10A indicate the basic construction element of the invention, which in each of the disclosed forms comprises parallel-axes cans in channeled mesh or apertured sheet metal. In each of the forms of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 19 this element comprises juxtaposed, parallel-axes cans, which optionally may be of the type shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 or the kind illustrated in FIG. 9, these cans being optionally new or used, and securely and bracingly fastened together within at least one generally U-shaped channel of mesh or apertured sheet. This channel may be: of metal (for example, hardware wire cloth, expanded metal or otherwise apertured sheet metal); or of strong, apertured plastic (preferably reinforced by fibers or textile fab ric); or of textile fabric, coated and stiffened by shellac, or other plastic, including glue. Preferably, there are two oppositely placed channels, holding a row of cans between them. When, as preferred, the cans and channels are sheathed in concrete or plastic, the mesh openings of the channeled network (or the holes in the apertured metal) are sufficiently large for the concrete or plastic (in its fluent condition) to go thru the openings when it is poured or injected in a mold. Thus the concrete or plastic goes thru the mesh or sheet into V- shaped, strengthening contact with sidewalls of the cans.

The can 1, shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, may be of the currently common, liquid-containing or coffee-containing type for example, the preferably corrugated type of used tomato-juice or fruit juice can or a smoothwalled can of the general type of beer cans.

Such a can may have been opened as indicated at 2 and 3. Although the openings of such used cans may be left unsealed when the cans matrix is stiffly poured concrete comprising Portland cement, they preferably are sealed, for example, by pieces of adhesive tape 4 (or 5). These pieces may be rectangular as at 4 or triangular as at 5; and preferably they are hand-torn from a tape roll that is perforated to permit their easy, manual re-.

moval. Preferably, each piece is in the form of a right, isosceles triangle (having two sides equal), repetitively indicated on the roll of tape by a continuous series of punctures, thus involving no loss of material in removing the pieces. The tape used may be, for example, of the mastic or electrically insulating type or may comprise aluminized plastic, rubber, paper-and-glue, or waterproofed cloth. Optionally, the pieces 4 and 5 may be sheathed over with epoxy or other strong glue for example: liquid epoxy cement poured in a layer over the end caps of the cans, or bits of epoxy putty or other putty placed over pieces 4 and 5 by a putty knife.

The new or used can of FIG. 9 is of the common paint-can type, and optionally may be a used paint can. It comprises a flanged snap-lid 6, which is sealingly forced down into tight contact ith with bottom of the groove 7 and with the downwardly and inwardly extending annular flange that is integral with this bottom and is covered by the lid in FIG. 9.

The cans may be assembled instraight rows, as illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 14, and optionally as in FIG. 5, or as exampled in FIGS. 4, 11 and 15 (and optionally in FIG. in curved rows. They may be placed in fixtures or forms having low, straight or curved side walls, and while in the fixture one of the channels or strips of apertured material stretched over them, and while thus stretched epoxy-glued (or soldered, welded or brazed), as at 8, to the can end closures. In the assembly of FIGS. 4 and 11 the channel 9, optionally of metal-wire mesh or stiffened nylon or other strong network, covers the entire surface of the end caps of the cans. When, as is preferable, this channel'is of metal-wire mesh for instance, of hardware cloth (or optionally of apertured sheet metal) it is stamped or otherwise forced and cut into the form indicated in FIG. 7, having approximately parallel side flanges and then, with or without use of the above-described fixture, the flanged strip is snugly placed over the can ends and bonded in place. After the channel is thus bonded in can-bracing position the incomplete can row is inverted and the second channel 12 is similarly bonded to the can ends 14. Optionally, one of the strips (9 or 12), without the flanges 10, may be narrower than the diameter of the cans; and also optionally, as indicatedin FIG. 9 at 14, and FIG. 10 at 17, this narrower strip may be of apertured, solid, strength-providing material for example, of metal pipe strap. Some commercially obtainable pipe strap is slightly arcuate at its edges; and this bowed strap is desirable when it is used in the construction element of FIGS. 4, l1 and and is glued or metalbonded at outside edges of the can caps, as indicated in FIG. 9. But when the row curvature of FIGS. 4, 11 or 15 is on a smaller radius than that of the curved pipe strap it contacts the can ends at dissimilar end-cap areas. No channeled mesh is indicated in FIG. 9, but a channel of the type shown at 9 in FIGS. 1 to 4 or 9 in FIGS. 10 and 10A is preferably fixed to and envelops the ends of the row cans 15 that are opposite to the pipe strap 14. In FIG. 10 the can-holding band 17 is shown as mostly solid metal or the like, drilled to provide holes for the screws or rivets 18; but preferably this band is of pipe strap. It is fixed by the rod-like elements 18 and/or epoxy glue or solder or other metallic bonding material at or near the centers of one aligned set of the end caps of the cans; and the opposite set of the can-ends are held within and preferably bonded to the channel 9'. Optionally, the construction element of FIG. 10 may be curved instead of straight as exampled; optionally the can-holding strips 17 may be of strong adhesive tape (for example, comprising fiberglass or aluminum, coated with adhesive); and optionally, the rod-like elements 18 may be sheathed over the epoxy putty as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 4 at 19. In FIG. 10A the strip 17 of FIG. 10 is replaced by an elongated strip or board 20, illustrated as having a width substantially equal to the diameter of the cans; and the channel 9' is here exampled as having a depth substantially equal to the height of the cans. This channel 9 is fastened to side edges of the wooden piece by nails or screws 22 and/or glue; and optionally the board may be glued to ends of the row cans.

The basic construction element of FIGS. 1 to 10A provides strengthening framework in more complex structure, of which several examples are illustrated in FIGS. 11 to 17. FIG. 11 illustrates the manner in which adjacent pairs of the mesh-sheathed rows of cans may be assembled by fastening together overlapping parts of the mesh at ends of the adjoined rows of cans. Although these rows are exampled in FIG. 11 as outwardly bowed they may be straight as in FIGS. 1 to 3 and 10. FIG. 3'shows the side flanges 10 before they are bent to form the can-holding channel. With cutout separation from the side flanges 10, the end, attachment flanges 24 (which are similar to the attachment flanges 24' of FIGS. 4 and 11) have been formed to have the same width as the bottom (or top) of the channel, according to one of the following two optional methods: (1) cutting the mesh, with the use of a die or shears, along the lines 26 and 27; or (2) cutting the mesh along the lines 26 and bending the end portions thus separated from flanges 10 along the lines 27. In any event the end flanges 24 or 24 are substantially planar and thus may be bent at corner junctions.

In forming such a junction, as exampled in FIG. 11, the two top and bottom end flanges 24 of the channel 9A are slightly forced apart and straddled over the end can 28 and over top and bottom mesh-end portions of the can row 30; and then the end 32 of the flange 24 is hammered or otherwise forced downward into engagement with the sidewall of the can 28. The end 34 of flange 24 of the row 36 has been similarly formed before the above-described assembly. In completing the junction: the sheet-metal screw 38 is driven into the end cap of the can 20, extending thru the overlapped end flanges 24; preferably this screw is topped by a mound 40 of epoxy putty or other bonding material; and when (as is preferred) there are channels of mesh on both ends of each can, a similar screw and'mound are placed thru and over the other overlapped meshend portions of the joined channels.

A strength-providing device is made by thus forming any desired number of corners in a plural-sided member. A door or window frame having either three or four sides may be made of such a member, sheathed in concrete or plastic. As shown in FIG. 14, such a door or window frame has four sides, joined at four corners, each corner being formed as indicated in FIG. 11. In FIG. 14 the sides of the exampled frame are illustrated as straight; in FIG. 15 two sides 42 (or three, including the bottom side) are straight and the top side (44) is arcuate, thus serving as an arched lintel above the windowed element.

The joined channels and cans are placed in a mold and surrounded with a matrix of strength-providing material. This material optionally may be concrete as illustrated in FIG. 16(preferably having light-weight, insulating aggregate) or plastic as indicated in FIG. 17 (preferably foamed plastic). The door or window stop may be made as indicated in FIG. 16, FIG. 17, or as in FIGS. 18 and 19. In FIG. 16 the stop 46 comprises wood, nailed and optionally glued to the matrix around the cans. In FIG. 17 the stop 46 is integrally molded with the remainder of the plastic or concrete that is around the cans. In FIGS. 18 and 19: the stop comprises a row of cans 48 that are smaller and shorter than the main cans 50 and concrete or plastic 52 that is integrally molded around the cans; and the can-holding channel here is wide and deep enough to cover most of both juxtaposed rows of the cans 48 and 50.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate two optional arrangements of the channels and rows of cans. In FIG. 12 opposite channels 54 and 56 are shown one seated on each end of each can in the row. The side flanges of these channels terminate at or near eachother and at or near the middle planes across the cans. In FIG. 13, a single channel is illustrated. It is seated on only one aligned set of end caps of the row cans, and has wide side flanges, 58 and 60, that terminate near the other aligned set of end caps. The matrix over the cans of FIGS. 12 and 13 optionally may be concrete (preferably light-weight, insulating concrete) or plastic (preferably foamed plastic). These figures may represent cross sections of plural-sided members; or, optionally they may be cross sections of elongated construction bars, having strength-providing inner elements of the type illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 or 5 and 6. Such bars, being light and strong, may be easily laid in walls, ceilings or roofs, with mortar or glue between their adjacent surfaces.

FIG. 5 illustrates parallel-axes cans 62 that are held in a straight or curved channel similar to that of FIG. 13 or optionally within two opposite straight or curved channels, as in FIG. 12. In either case each channel has a base 64 (that in longitudinal section thru the axis of each can is substantially parallel to the axis) and free-edged sides 66 that are substantially perpendicular to the axes of the cans. FIG. 6 illustrates the strength-providing member of FIG. 5 as being sheathed in insulating and shape-forming material 68, which may be plastic (preferably foamed plastic) or concrete (preferably having light-weight aggregate, such as cinders, expanded clay or shale or pumice).

Various changes may be made within the scope of the following claims. For instance, instead of forming the matrix by molding, all of the stacked or juxtaposed rows of cans and channeled mesh or apertured sheet metal may be imbedded in foamed plastic, poured or injected in its mixed-liquid state thru holes in an overall skin of the desired article, into spaces between the cans and the skins. Or a V-shaped mass or strip of insulation, 70 (for example, of foamed plastic or fiberglass) may be glued, adhesive-taped or otherwise fastened in the outer groove, on and between each pair of the parallelaxes cans.

In the claims, unless otherwise qualifiedrthe word can means a tubular element of metal, plastic or glass, of any cross-sectional shape; rod-like element means a screw, rivet nail, or bolt; bonding material signifies epoxy putty or cementor other glue, or concrete, solder, welding or brazing material; and gaseous material" means air, or any pure gas, mixture of gases, or gas-containing insulation or plastic (for example, gas-cell-containing foamed plastic), under atmospheric or above-atmospheric or sub-atmospheric pressure.

I claim:

1. A strength-providing, plural-sided construction member, comprising:

a plurality of end-joined can rows, each of said rows comprising: cans having substantially parallel axes that extend transversely to the length of the row; at least one can-holding strip of row-strengthproviding material on cans of the row; and bonding material between said strip and cans; and

means fastening together each adjacent pair of rows at row ends in a strength-providing corner of said member, comprising: a row-end flange of a said strip in one of said pair of can rows, extending beyond the cans to which the strip is attached, and at said corner overlapping a portion of a strip of a second can row and overlapping an end can of said second row; and a rod-like element, passing thru said row-end flange, thru said overlapped strip portions, and fastened to said end can. 2. A construction member as set forth in claim 1 in which eachof said can-holding strips is a channel, comprising: a base portion that sheathes a substantial portion of the'cans in a row; and two free-edged parts, sheathing other portions of the cans, each of said parts being connected to and at an angle to said base portion.

3. A construction member as set forth in claim 2, in which said channel comprises mesh of stiff material.

4. A construction member as set forth in claim 3, in which said bonding material comprises concrete, impregnating and coating said mesh.

5. A construction member as set forth in claim 3, in which said bonding material comprises plastic, impregnating and coating said mesh.

6. A construction member as set forth in claim 2, comprising a'pair of can-holding channels, enveloping opposite portions of each can in each row.

7. A construction member as set forth in claim 6, comprising a shape-forming matrix around said cans and channels, in which: said channels comprise stiff mesh; said bonding material comprises material other than that of said matrix; and the said matrix comprises concrete, impregnating and coating said mesh.

8. A construction member as set forth in claim 1, comprising shape-holding material encompassing said cans as a matrix, the said shape-holding material being of a type that is fluent when applied and with passage of time sets into firm material.

9. A construction member as set forth in claim 8, in which: each of said can-holding strips is a channel of network that comprises a base portion that sheathes a substantial portion of the cans in a row and two freeedged parts, sheathing other portions of the cans, each of said parts being connected to and at an angle to said base portion; the said shape-holding material comprises concrete; and at least one of said rows of cans and concrete has a median line that is arcuate, the arch of its curvature being bowed outward from a space between said rows.

10. A construction member as set forth in claim 9, comprising at least three sides, in which the said one of said can rows is connected at each of its ends in a said corner with a row of said cans and concrete having a median line that is straight.

11. A construction member as set forth in claim 9, comprising four joined sides, in which: the said member is a frame for a windowed element; and the said one of the can rows, with its sheathing of concrete, is in the form of an arch which has curvature that is bowed upward from a space within said joined sides.

12. A construction member as set forth in claim 11, in which said frame is a window frame.

13. A construction member as set forth in claim 11, in which said frame is a door frame.

14. A jointed structure, including:

a plurality of end-joined can rows, comprising: cans having substantially parallel axes that extend transversely to the length of the row, each of said cans consisting of a tube and a can-end cover on each end of the tube; a pair of opposite, individual canholding strips of stiff, row-strength-providing material on opposite ends of each can of saidrow; and means holding said strips and cans together; and means fastening together each adjacent pair of rows at row ends in a strength-providing joint of said structure, comprising: a row-end attachment flange of a said strip in one of said pair of can rows, extending beyond the cans to which said last-named strip is attached, and at said joint overlapping a portion of a strip of a second can row and overlapping an end can of said second row; and a rod-like element, passing thru said row-end flange, thru said overlapped strip portions, and fastened to said end can. o 15. Structure as set forth in claim 14, in which: said strips are channels; and said means holding said strips and cans together in each of said rows comprises side flanges integrally and angularly joined to an elongated middle portion of each of said pair of strips and rod-like elements seated against and extending thru at least end portions of said strips and into at least some of said canend covers.

16. Structure as set forth in claim 15, in which: said can-holding channels comprise mesh of stiff material; and the said structure further includes shape-holding material of a type which is fluent when applied and sets into shape-holding substance, coating and impregnating at least a major portion of said mesh.

17. Structure as set forth in claim 16, in which said last-named material comprises calcareous cement.

18. A light-weight construction member, including:

a row of aligned, contiguous cans, having equal lengths and substantially parallel axes, each of said cans comprising a tube and a pair of can-end covers fixed to opposite ends of said tube;

a channeled can-supporting element of stiff, shapeholding, member-strength-providing material, extending over and contiguous with an aligned set of said covers, comprising: a planar piece, having a width approximately equal to the maximum dimension across said can-end covers and having a length in the neighborhood of the length of the said row of cans; and a pair of elongated side flanges of said material, integral with said planar piece and embracing sides of said cans, one of said flanges being located on each side of said piece and having a v length substantially equal to the said length of said piece and a width less than said equal lengths of the cans;

a second channeled can-supporting element of stiff,

shape-holding material, extending over and contiguous with an opposite aligned set of said can-end covers, opposite to said first-named set, comprising: a second planar piece, having a width approximately equal to the maximum dimension across said can-end covers and having a length in the neighborhood of the length of said row of cans; and a pair of elongated side flanges of said material, integral with said second planar piece and embracing sides of said cans, one of said last-named flanges being located on each side of said second piece and having a length substantially equal to the length of said second piece and a width less than said equal lengths of the cans;

fastening means extending thru apertures in portions of said material, holding the planar pieces to said pair of can-end covers of the row-end can at each end of said row, preventing separation of said cans from the opposite pair of said stiff channeled elements and from each other; and

at least one planar, attachment piece of stiff, member-strength-providing material, coplanar with and integral with one of said first-named planar pieces and jutting beyond a said row-end can, adapted for fastening to another construction member at a construction site.

19. A construction member as set forth in claim 18, in which: the material of said channeled elements and attachment piece comprises metal; and said fastening means comprises rod-like elements, extending thru apertures in said metal and into end-covers of at least the end cans of said row.

20. A construction member as set forth in claim 18, in which: said one attachment piece is integral with said first-named planar piece; and said construction member further includes a second planar, unflanged, attachment piece of stiff material, coplanar with and integral with said second planar piece.

21. A construction member as set forth in claim 20, in which said two attachment pieces form an oppositely positioned pair of attachment flanges.

22. A construction member as set forth in claim 18, in which the centers of said covers in each of said sets are aligned along a curve. 

1. A strength-providing, plural-sided construction member, comprising: a plurality of end-joined can rows, each of said rows comprising: cans having substantially parallel axes that extend transversely to the length of the row; at least one can-holding strip of row-strength-providing material on cans of the row; and bonding material between said strip and cans; and means fastening together each adjacent pair of rows at row ends in a strength-providing corner of said member, comprising: a row-end flange of a said strip in one of said pair of can rows, extending beyond the cans to which the strip is attached, and at said corner overlapping a portion of a strip of a second can row and overlapping an end can of said second row; and a rodlike element, passing thru said row-end flange, thru said overlapped strip portions, and fastened to said end can.
 2. A construction member as set forth in claim 1, in which each of said can-holding strips is a channel, comprising: a base portion that sheathes a substantial portion of the cans in a row; and two free-edged parts, sheathing other portions of the cans, each of said parts being connected to and at an angle to said base portion.
 3. A construction member as set forth in claim 2, in which said channel comprises mesh of stiff material.
 4. A construction member as set forth in claim 3, in which said bonding material comprises concrete, impregnating and coating said mesh.
 5. A construction member as set forth in claim 3, in which said bonding material comprises plastic, impregnating and coating said mesh.
 6. A construction member as set forth in claim 2, comprising a pair of can-holding channels, enveloping opposite portions of each can in each row.
 7. A construction member as set forth in claim 6, comprising a shape-forming matrix around said cans and channels, in which: said channels comprise stiff mesh; said bonding material comprises material other than that of said matrix; and the said matrix comprises concrete, impregnating and coating said mesh.
 8. A construction member as set forth in claim 1, comprising shape-holding material encompassing said cans as a matrix, the said shape-holding material being of a type that is fluent when applied and with passage of time sets into firm material.
 9. A construction member as set forth in claim 8, in which: each of said can-holding strips is a channel of network that comprises a base portion that sheathes a substantial portion of the cans in a row and two free-edged parts, sheathing other portions of the cans, each of said parts being connected to and at an angle to said base portion; the said shape-holding material comprises concrete; and at least one of said rows of cans and concrete has a median line that is arcuate, the arch of its curvature being bowed outward from a space between said rows.
 10. A construction member as set forth in claim 9, comprising at least three sides, in which the said one of said can rows is connected at each of its ends in a said corner with a row of said cans and concrete having a median line that is straight.
 11. A construction member as set forth in claim 9, comprising four joined sides, in which: the said member is a frame for a windowed element; and the said one of the can rows, with its sheathing of concrete, is in the form of an arch which has curvature that is bowed upward from a space within said joined sides.
 12. A construction member as set forth in claim 11, in which said frame is a window frame.
 13. A construction member as set forth in claim 11, in which said frame is a door frame.
 14. A jointed structure, including: a plurality of end-joined can rows, comprising: cans having substantially parallel axes that extend transversely to the length of the row, each of said cans consisting of a tube and a can-end cover on each end of the tube; a pair of opposite, individual can-holding strips of stiff, row-strength-providing material on opposite ends of each can of said row; and means holding said strips and cans together; and means fastening together each adjacent pair of rows at row ends in a strength-providing joint of said structure, comprising: a row-end attachment flange of a said strip in one of said pair of can rows, extending beyond the cans to which said last-named strip is attached, and at said joint overlapping a portion of a strip of a second can row and overlapping an end can of said second row; and a rod-like element, passing thru said row-end flange, thru said overlapped strip portions, and fastened to said end can.
 15. Structure as set forth in claim 14, in which: said strips are channels; and said means holding said strips and cans together in each of said rows comprises side flanges integrally and angularly joined to an elongated middle portion of each of said pair of strips and rod-like elements seated against and extending thru at least end portions of said strips and into at least some of said can-end covers.
 16. Structure as set forth in claim 15, in which: said can-holding channels comprise mesh of stiff material; and the said structure further includes shape-holding material of a type which is fluent when applied and sets into shape-holding substance, coating and impregnating at least a major portion of said mesh.
 17. Structure as set forth in claim 16, in which said last-named material comprises calcareous cement.
 18. A light-weight construction member, including: a row of aligned, contiguous cans, having equal lengths and substantially parallel axes, each of said cans comprising a tube and a pair of can-end covers fixed to opposite ends of said tube; a channeled can-supporting element of stiff, shape-holding, member-strength-providing material, extending over and contiguous with an aligned set of said covers, comprising: a planar piece, having a width approximately equal to the maximum dimension across said can-end covers and having a length in the neighborhood of the length of the said row of cans; and a pair of elongated side flanges of said material, integral with said planar piece and embracing sides of said cans, one of said flanges being located on each side of said piece and having a length substantially equal to the said length of said piece and a width less than said equal lengths of the cans; a second channeled can-supporting element of stiff, shape-holding material, extending over and contiguous with an opposite aligned set of said can-end covers, opposite to said first-named set, comprising: a second planar piece, having a width approximately equal to the maximum dimension across said can-end covers and having a length in the neighborhood of the length of said row of cans; and a pair of elongated side flanges of said material, integral with said second planar piece and embracing sides of said cans, one of said last-named flanges being located on each side of said second piece and having a length substantially equal to the length of said second piece and a width less than said equal lengths of the cans; fastening means extending thru apertures in portions of said material, holding the planar pieces to said pair of can-end covers of the row-end can at each end of said row, preventing separation of said cans from the opposite pair of said stiff channeled elements and from each other; and at least one planar, attachment piece of stiff, member-strength-providing material, coplanar with and integral with one of said first-named planar pieces and jutting beyond a said row-end can, adapted for fastening to another construction member at a construction site.
 19. A construction member as set forth in claim 18, in which: the material of said channeled elements and attachment piece comprises metal; and said fastening means comprises rod-like elements, extending thru apertures in said metal and into end-covers of at least the end cans of said row.
 20. A construction member as set forth in claim 18, in which: said one attachment piece is integral with said first-named planar piece; and said construction member further includes a second planar, unflanged, attachment piece of stiff material, coplanar with and integral with said second planar piece.
 21. A construction member as set forth in claim 20, in which said two attachment pieces form an oppositely positioned pair of attachment flanges.
 22. A construction member as set forth in claim 18, in which the centers of said covers in each of said sets are aligned along a curve. 